So far, we have discussed the first eleven sinful activities
including, Violence (Pranatipata), Untruth (Mrushavada), Theft
(Adattadan), Unchaste (Maithun), Possessiveness (Parigraha),
Anger (Krodh), Arrogance (Mana), Deceit (Maya), Greed (Lobh),
Attachment (Rag), and Hatred (Dwesh) in the last two chapters. We
are going to discuss the rest of the seven sinful activities in
this chapter.

Kalah: It means to fight. Most of the time, if we do
not agree with others, the first thing we do is to fight. Many
people fight even for a trivial matter. Sometimes, it may seem
that we win by fighting, but we lose in the long run. Frustration
or anger are the cause for fighting. We should not forget that
fighting breaks up even a good friendship. Therefore, we should
learn to let go and believe in forgiveness.

Abhyakhyan: Making false accusations on somebody is
called abhyakhyan. Some persons cannot accept their losses and
blame others for it even when the others are not at fault. When
people find out the truth, they are going to lose trust in these
people. Therefore, before accusing anyone, we should ask
ourselves, "What is the truth and why am I looking for the
short term gain?" No wise person will do this. Therefore,
accept the truth and live by that even though sometime it may not
be in our favor.

Paishunya: Talking behind someones back or
spreading rumors are all known as paishunya. Many people try to
look smart by spreading rumors about others. This is a wrong
habit which leads to the unnecessary friction and the quarrels.
This takes time away from constructive activities. Instead of
indulging in the gossip, we should form the habit of appreciating
others.

Parparivada: It is formed of two words. 1) Par
means the other person and 2) parivada means to criticize. Many
people do nothing but criticize others. Instead of admiring
others, they always find faults instead. If criticism is done
with the good intention of improvement cause, then it is
considered positive or constructive criticism, and that is
welcome. But if the criticism is done to put down others, then it
is considered negative criticism and it should be avoided. It
creates unnecessary friction, cultivates anger in the people, and
can lead to unfortunate events.

Rati-arati: Rati means liking, while arati means
disliking. When a friend comes to our house, we like him, but on
the other side if a funny looking stranger comes to our door we
dislike him. This liking or disliking seems to be a natural
response but we should not forget that they can bring the feeling
of attachment or hatred in our minds. Therefore, even though our
expressions may look innocent, we should be careful about them
and try to balance them.

Maya-mrushavada -Telling a malicious lie is called
maya mrushavada. As such any lie is bad, but when it is done with
the malice it is even worst. Malicious behavior causes nothing,
but quarrel and friction. Not only should we avoid such habits,
but we should stay away from those who have such habits. Instead
of being vicious, we should be kind to the others.

Mithya-darshan-shalya: This word is combination of
three words. 1) mithya means false, 2) darshan means the faith,
and 3) shalya means a thorn. This means to believe in a false
faith is a thorn. We know thorn never gives pleasure, but rather
they always hurt. In the same way, keeping faith in a false
belief will lead us to nothing but sufferings. False beliefs can
start from believing in false teachers, false religions and false
gods. False teachers are those who do not believe in the five
major vows as prescribed by the Jinas. They promote violence,
lying, stealing, immoral sensual activities, and possessiveness.
These activities will bring our downfall. In the same way, false
religions will promote teaching opposite of what the Jinas have
taught. False religions would promote violence, anger, ego,
deceit, and greed. They will nourish attachment and hatred.
Therefore, that will be bad for us. In the same way, false god
would be the one who is tinted with attachment and hatred. When
someone is biased, he cannot give proper advice. But Jinas do not
have any attachment or hatred; therefore, they do not expect
anything from what they advise. There is no reason for them to
give us any advice that will hurt us. They reached the higher
state by following the same path they have shown us. They have
taught us that we are our own savior, and only we can save
ourselves. Thus, we should have faith in the right teachers, the
right religion, and the right god if we want to stay away from
the troubles.

So, from the discussion in the last three chapters, we can
realize that any of these 18 types of sinful activities are
harmful. As long as we are living, we are bound to undertake some
of these activities, but we should be careful and replace the
sinful activities with good activities to minimize harm to our
souls. If we have to get involved in any sinful activity due to
the unavoidable circumstances, then we should do it with regret,
and repent for doing such acts but never enjoy doing it.